Ophiuchus Shaina
is a fictional character in the classical manga Saint Seiya, written and illustrated by Japanese mangaka Masami Kurumada, and later adapted to anime. Kurumada introduced her in vol.1 of his manga, in its storyline, she is one of the 88 Saints of Athena and she was teacher to Pegasus Seiya's rival Cassios. Plot overview Shaina trained in the Sanctuary with other female trainees through her fiercely violent fighting style and nature, which earned her an infamous reputation. She became a fearsome opponent because she was perceived as the most powerful female Saint. Shaina first met Seiya when they were both very young. During the 'Sanctuary' arc, the night of the day Seiya earned the Pegasus Cloth, Shaina attacked him. After a lengthy battle, the Pegasus Saint shattered her mask, only to find that beneath it, Shaina concealed a striking beauty that seemed unthinkable for a person with her temper. Not recognizing her, Seiya praised her beauty and spared her, as he didn't wish to fight a woman, which only fueled Shaina's confusion and hatred, making her one of Seiya's most dangerous enemies. The reason of Shaina's wearing a mask resided in a tradition practiced for centuries: As the world of Saints was forbidden by Athena to women, the only way for them to become one was abandoning their feminity, thus their mask become a symbol of their decision. For female Saints, it was preferable to be seen naked than without their masks, by men. If their face was seen by a man, their choices were to either kill him or fall in love with him. Some time later during the same arc, after seeking a last duel with Seiya and being refused for the umpteenth time, Shaina's emotions overcame her and she hurled herself at the attack that Leo Aiolia unleashed in order to protect Seiya and tell him how she felt she had to love him. Seiya was very shocked at the revelation, and seeing Shaina injured for him gave him the courage to face Aiolia. During the last parts of the 'Sanctuary' arc, Shaina was in recovery from her injuries, which upset Cassios. She later mourns the loss of Cassios and helps Seiya and Eagle Marin to break free from Pisces Aphrodite's poisonous roses. In the 'Poseidon' Arc, Seiya was wearing the Sagittarius Cloth and shot the golden arrow, but Poseidon reflected it back, thus injuring him. He tried again, but the same effect occurred, which resulted in Shaina protecting him, once again. In the 'Hades' arc, she leads the Bronze Saints who did not go to the Underworld, in the protection of Sanctuary. Power and abilities As a Silver Saint, Shaina possesses advanced mastery of the Cosmo, which grants her abilities that are far superior to those of Bronze Saints, including tremendous superhuman physical strength, and the ability of attaining speed of movement that ranges from mach 2 to 5. Her signature technique is , with which she launches a high number of supersonic punches per second, each of which is surrounded by Shaina's Cosmo, manifested in the form of electricity. The receiver of the technique is overwhelmed by the strength of the blows, as well as by the electric jolt that accompanies them. Cloth Shaina wears the Silver Cloth of Ophiuchus, which represents the constellation Ophiuchus, the snake bearer. It is depicted as half a person with a cape, holding a cobra. The version of the anime adaptation doesn't differ greatly, except that the head piece has been simplified and the pelvis armor piece has been removed. References Saint Seiya manga vols.1, 7, 14 to 18, by Masami Kurumada Shaina it:Tisifone (I Cavalieri dello zodiaco) pt:Shaina de Ofiúco